


Filling the gaps

by reveetoile



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Awkward Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reveetoile/pseuds/reveetoile
Summary: Person A means to send a message to Person B saying “I love your hair” but accidentally sends “I love you”. It turns out Person B loves them back. Not wanting to break the latter’s heart, Person A asks them out. They date for six months before Person A realises they’ve fallen head over heels for Person B.
Relationships: Matsumoto Jun/Ninomiya Kazunari
Comments: 60
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

“Did you see…?”

“Yes, so awful.”

Nino looked up when he heard the giggling of two women, and his eyes scanned the room to see what they were talking about. He pursed his lips when he saw the stiffness in Jun’s shoulders and how he tugged at some highlighted strands. He sighed when Jun forced a bright smile on his face, checking himself on the mirror, before turning around and started to talk about something work-related to some staff around. 

Nino’s eyes were on Jun a lot that day, and he didn’t miss the small frowns on his face or how he checked himself in the mirror now and then. 

Nino didn’t fully get what it was about. Sure the highlights would be a bit better if they were lighter or thinner, but Nino supposed that if Jun liked it, it was fine. It was somewhat cute as well. 

He sighed as they ended their meeting this day and before he could say anything, he was dragged out (of course only figuratively speaking) by his manager to be on time for his next job. He pursed his lips as he followed the rest of his schedule, even if he was not fully concentrating on the tasks that were going on. 

It was late in the night when Nino laid in bed, turning from side to side, as he didn’t manage to wipe the sad look of Jun from his face. Jun always took it to heart when people made fun of him. Nino never knew fully why someone as confident as Jun could be so insecure about his looks or remarks about his looks, but it was a fact. 

Nino groaned as he pulled out his phone, looking for Jun’s contact. He scrolled through the names until he found Jun’s and clicked it open to write a mail to the other man. 

“I love your hair,” he carefully typed as Haru jumped on the bed, surprising him and his thumb slipped on the phone as it automatically sent the unfinished mail. He blinked but then shrugged as he was sure that auto-correct would have filled in the gaps and turned to his side. 

“Haru,” he admonished but giggled when the dog barked lowly and started to lick his face. “What is it? Did I forget to feed you? No, I didn’t your bowl is full to the brim you silly dog. It’s sleepy-time, not playing time,” he snorted when Haru dropped on top of him with his tail wriggling. 

Haru had spent the day in doggy care, and Nino was sure that he had had fun there with the other dogs and caretakers, but he knew that a small round of playing with Nino was always at the top of Haru’s favourite things to do. 

He rubbed his fur and stretched out to get Haru’s favourite ball to throw it to play a short round of fetch, glad that Haru was always a very silent dog as he didn’t want to disturb any neighbours. 

— 

Nino woke to the whining of Haru, and he rubbed his eyes as he climbed out of bed. He caressed the head of Haru with a grin. 

“Yes, yes, I get ready to take you out,” he promised with a yawn as he stumbled over to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He wore some jogging bottoms and a shirt, before putting on a hat and putting Haru on a leash to lead him out for their early morning walk. 

He was yawning slightly as they wandered along, stopping now and then for Haru to sniff at bushes. The early morning sun helped Nino to wake up fully, and he moved his shoulders slightly as they walked back to his apartment. He came to a surprised halt when he spotted Jun standing in front of his door with two coffees in his hand, frowning as he tried to ring the bell with his elbow. Nino giggled slightly at the antics and tried to remember if they had an appointment this morning. 

His eyes wandered to his phone (because if so he should at least fake that he remembered it), but there was no note in his calendar. He checked his messages but still nothing and stared at Haru. 

“What’s he doing here?” he murmured and swore when that brought Haru’s attention to the other man. The dog yipped happily and pulled at the leash. Nino swore as he just so managed not to let go of it and scolded Haru while tugging at the leash. 

“Stop it, you menace. We are not jumping on J!” he scolded when the dog finally calmed down, and they could walk closer in a calmer manner. 

Jun was staring at them, which made Nino blush slightly, but of course, there was no way for Jun to miss their small fight. 

“Good morning,” Nino greeted with his best smile possible. “Waiting for me?”

Jun nodded silently, a small frown and blush on his face, which confused Nino even more. Nino still nodded and opened the door for them, allowing Jun to get in first. “Make yourself comfortable, will you? And put the coffee down. Haru wants to greet you, and I can’t guarantee for anything once the leash is gone.”

Again Jun nodded as he slipped out of his shoes, and Nino could hear him rummaging in the kitchen. He looked sternly at Haru and grinned when the dog let his head hang. “Behave,” he advised before letting him go and slipping out of his shoes to enter his apartment as the last person finally. 

“He likes you,” Nino hummed when Jun was rubbing Haru’s neck telling him what a good boy he was and Jun looked up a bit surprised. 

“I’m glad.”

Nino nodded and sat on a chair at his table, pointing at the coffees that were from a shop down the street that was well known for their excellent coffees. 

“One for me by any chance?”

“Oh yes…” Jun said, pushing one cup over. Nino grinned as he pulled off the lid and smelled the wonderful fragrance. He then looked curiously at Jun who was sipping at his coffee. 

“As delighted as I am for you to be here. Is there a reason for it?”

“Did you mean what you wrote yesterday?” Jun asked, his eyes piercing and Nino blinked in wonder. 

He nodded slowly and frowned. “Of course. Why should I lie with things like that? I’m not that cruel,” he huffed. “And it’s no joke!”

There was a brilliant smile on Jun’s face at his words, and Nino wondered at how much the comments of the women about his hair had actually hurt Jun to get that reaction. 

Jun put his cup down and sat a bit more straighter as he looked at Nino. “I didn’t want to answer you over the phone, this feels better.”

“Okay?”

“I love you as well, Nino. Have done so for some time, to be honest, but I was too scared to confess.”

Nino’s lips fell open in shock that he tried to mask as fast as possible at those words. He remembered the message and Haru and his fingers twitched to check the message, but he was almost sure as to what happened. He cleared his throat his mind racing about what to do now. He didn’t want to hurt Jun and Jun had looked so happy at his words it was hard to tell that there was a mistake especially now after Jun confessed so earnestly. 

“Great,” Nino heard himself say as from afar. “Let’s date then?”


	2. Chapter 2

Nino stared at the two coffee cups on the table after Jun had left. He felt slightly stunned about what had happened in the last hour. They had talked a little bit about how they wanted to depict their relationship in front of the others - hidden for the moment, and how they would manage to date. 

Nino had no problems with Jun’s wishes. In all honesty, he was pretty happy that their friends would not know right away that they were dating now. That way, he had time to get out of the mess and think of a way about how to do it without hurting Jun too much. 

“I’m an awful man, Haru,” he said when Haru put his head on his knee. He patted the dog’s head and leant back when Haru whined lowly in the back of his throat, making Nino smile as he nuzzled his palm. 

“Are you trying to comfort me?” he teased the dog and rubbed the fur. “I love you, boy. But I need to get ready before my manager comes, I promise I will think of something, ne? Giving up right away is wrong, and we agreed to date, so I should at least give J some chance,” he then decided, clapping his hands. 

Nino stood when Haru barked slightly and threw the ball of his dog, watching him chasing it before he stood and changed his clothes and cleaned up a bit. He brought Haru to his older neighbour who usually watched the dog when he had to work for a few hours without being able to check up on Haru. He knew that Haru was well taken care of that way and the other man would bring him back if Nino were too late to fetch Haru himself. 

“Be a good boy, ne?” Nino told him and rubbed the soft fur a last time, chuckling when Haru licked his cheek. “See you this evening. Thank you again for looking after Haru,” he said to his neighbour who just waved his words away. 

Nino was just happy that with his neighbour’s help, he could still raise a dog even with his kind of work. 

— 

“Jun is shining today,” Ohno hummed as he sat down on his usual seat beside Nino. 

“Huh?” Nino asked as he made space for Ohno to get comfortable beside him. “What are you talking about, old man?”

“Just observing,” Ohno said as he yawned and put his head on his shoulder. “He shines as he always does when he is in love. It’s a good look at him.”

Nino glanced at Ohno and stiffened just slightly at the words as he looked Jun over. The other was staring at some paperwork, so Nino had no idea how Ohno came to the idea that he was in love. To Nino, he looked as he always did. When Jun looked up, smiling just slightly at him, Nino smiled back, before concentrating back on his game, feeling somewhat confused about why he did that. 

He would love to ask Ohno more about what he meant, but the older had already fallen to sleep by his side, and it was an unwritten law for Arashi not to disturb any sleeping members, mostly if it was their leader. 

God, if possible, they would let him even sleep during interviews or shows. That was how fond they were of their leader’s antics. Nino rubbed Ohno’s scalp with his fingertips when the other made a small noise in his sleep and rolled his eyes. 

“Coffee?” Jun offered suddenly, and he looked up. He smiled when Jun held out a cup of coffee and took it after he put down his game. Jun almost flinched when their fingertips touched, and Nino had to smile as he remembered that deep inside (and very badly hidden on the outside) Jun was a total romantic. He had always thought that was very cute of the other. 

“Thank you. Otherwise, I might join leader for a nap.”

“Better not,” Jun agreed with a chuckle and sat across from him. 

Nino was a bit confused that Jun did not directly go back to his work but then realised that Jun probably wanted to talk for a bit. He tried to come up with something to talk about without talking about their date right away. He never trusted Ohno not to listen in even if he was sleeping.

“What are those about?” Nino asked in the end. Still, a bit in a loss for words and Jun blinked as he looked at the papers he had read before. 

“I got offered a new role,” Jun said sheepishly. “It’s a romance drama.”

Nino nodded and observed Jun quietly as he shifted on his chair for a second. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

“It’s strange,” Jun said with a wrinkled nose. 

“It’s not the first time you do something like that.”

“But the first time it feels like I am offered the role for a real complete romance drama,” Jun disagreed with a troubled frown. “They always say my face is too strong to play a romance drama’s lead.”

Nino stared at him for a while and narrowed his eyes as he saw the honest troubled look on Jun’s face and moved forwards before he could help himself. He cupped his cheek and rubbed the soft part under his eyes were a bit of make-up was stuck. “You will do great if you decide to take on that role. So if you like the story, you should do it.”

“You really think so.”

“I wouldn’t lie about that. So stop the self-doubt.”

Jun grinned as he stood up and walked over to the offer he had been reading. It was an excellent opportunity for him to do that series. The chances were high that it would be popular with high school girls who would mean more popularity for Arashi, which he considered a good side effect.

He stared at the words a few more seconds and then scribbled down his details for their manager to handle further. “Recording will start soon.”

“The other two aren’t back yet,” Nino said as he drank his coffee with a frown. “It will be a mess once they arrive,” he groaned.

Jun laughed as he nodded in agreement. “But that is down to you and Aiba not because of Sakurai.”

Nino stuck out his tongue and bit his lips before he could retort something like: “But still you love me” as a joke because that was no joking matter right now and felt plain wrong. 

Instead, Jun left the room to go to the stylists, and Nino busied himself with waking up their leader so that they could get ready for the recordings. And so that Ohno would have a pleasanter time waking up than because of the chaos that generally followed Aiba’s appearance when there was little time to get ready. 

— 

_Do you have any wishes for our date?_

_You know I would prefer to stay at home. But I know that’s not the kind of thing you like. So I don’t mind. This time is your choice. Next will be mine._

_So there will be a next?_

Nino stared down at his phone, wondering how Jun could think there wasn’t. Did he really think so lowly of him that he would break up after just one date?

_I suppose? I don’t think you will force me to do things that are totally out of my league. You know what I like, dislike and absolutely can’t stand. I trust you to keep that in mind and create a nice day._

It took a while until Jun answered and Nino felt as if his heart was up to his throat. Was it too much? Was he too cold towards Jun? He hoped not. 

_Thank you. I will pick you up around nine? Bring Haru._

Nino smiled a bit as he stared at the message. Until now, most dates hated it if he mentioned Haru and that he had to make sure his dog was taken care off. Nobody had told him they would consider thinking of something where he could bring his dog with him. 

“Hey, Haru? We have a date on Thursday. Can you believe it? You are going to come with us,” he grinned, laughing when Haru jumped on the sofa beside him to lick his cheek again. “You have to be on your best behaviour. No nibbling on J’s shoes or coat,” he admonished him, giggling when Haru climbed on top of him, halfway pushing him over. 

_Haru and me look forward to it._ Nino rechecked the phone before attaching a picture of his face squished up beside of Haru’s head. He hoped it would be a fun day, at least. 

A/N: Sorry, Nino just rolls with it, but he still tries to do the right thing.


	3. Chapter 3

_”Should I prepare food for Haru? What does Haru eat? I don’t have dog food.”_

Nino stared at the message with a small chuckle and laid back on the sofa while he pondered the question. Today would be the date, and even if for a second Nino had feared that Jun planned the whole day for them, he should have known better. Jun knew he had work scheduled for the morning and early afternoon and arranged it for the night. 

Jun was just as thoughtful as that, Nino thought with a chuckle. Besides, a whole day as their very first date would have been slightly overkill, Nino had to agree. A few hours were better to make sure that there were no awkward silences or something like that. Jun had written him a few messages already, making sure that nothing in his schedule had changed, and to tell Nino to bring a warmer sweatshirt at least and not to eat dinner. 

Frankly, Nino was looking forward to having Jun’s self-made food for dinner. Aside from the health sprees, he went on and his favouritism to superfoods, Jun made excellent food. Way better than Nino was able (which was a lie. Nino knew he was more or less as good as cooking as Jun was but he was lazy, so Jun would always be better.)

_”Haru can have unseasoned meats, and rice or something like that. But we can also give him treats, and I can feed him before we meet. You don’t need to prepare a meal for my dog, J.”_

_”I just want to include him.”_

Nino giggled as he could imagine Jun’s slight frown on his face just too good and he knew that Jun probably would make something for Haru, even if it was silly, but there really was no need to do that. 

He sighed and played with his phone for a while, as his eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. He wouldn’t be called for at least twenty more minutes, and he was alone in the Green Room right now. He would typically spend those longer breaks in the dressing rooms with the other actors, but today he enjoyed the special treatment for a bit. It was easier to avoid any strange rumours that way when he chatted with Jun about their date after all. 

His thumb hovered over the call icon beside Jun’s name, chatting was safer, but calling would be faster, and it was kind of nice to hear Jun’s voice. The thought was at least. 

He cried out in shock when his finger pushed the icon without any conscious will and scrambled to end it, just to stop in the last minute when he realised that Jun had already answered the call.

“Damn,” he whispered, feeling the heat in his cheeks. His unconsciousness seemed to do strange things around Jun in the last few days. He cleared his throat as he could hear Jun call his name in confusion and soon after in slight panic.

“Nino, do you have to cancel? Is the filming taking longer?” Jun asked, and Nino blinked a few times as his mind caught up with the words that Jun was saying. Jun sounded disappointed, even if at the same time he seemed to try hard to hide the said disappointment.

Nino cleared his throat, smiling when Jun fell silent. “No filming is not taking longer, J. Don’t worry. I won’t let you hang.”

“Well… There is nothing you would have been able to do against it, work is work,” Jun whispered, his voice thick with emotion that Nino didn’t dare to decipher just yet. It was so strange to see or hear the usually so confident Jun like that whenever their date or relationship came up. It was cute, but also slightly unnerving, prompting Nino to wonder if he had done something wrong.

“I thought that talking over the phone would be nice,” Nino said then and smiled when there was a relieved chuckle on the other end. “I’m on my break, and I’m bored in my big lonely dressing room.”

“I am surprised you didn’t join the rest of the cast…”

Nino shrugged uncomfortably. He didn’t know himself fully. It was strange for him, indeed. Even if he wanted to game all break, he would do it in the same room as the rest of the cast. It always helped him to remember their names, to be attentive and to make sure the filming went well. But somehow… The thought of messaging Jun there had been wrong. And now it was nice to be able to talk to Jun without curious ears listening in.

“I just felt like it,” he ended lamely and grimaced. “But I call because of Haru. You do realise that you don’t have a date with him, right? He is just a dog.”

“He’s not just a dog. He’s your beloved dog,” Jun argued, and Nino’s lips twitched in amusement.

“Well, yes. But still, not your date. I will feed him his normal food before we meet. He will be fine with any treats you make, and you don’t need to cook for him. I’m not that fond of that method of feeding since it takes too much time, which I don’t normally have. If you want to do something special for him, maybe try to think of a spot where he can run around freely a bit, maybe bring a ball for playing fetch.”

“Does he has favourite toys?”

“The squeaky kind,” Nino said with a chuckle, imagining Jun now going to a store trying to find the perfect gift for Haru. “But a tennis ball will be a well-received gift as well.”

“Okay. Are you sure you are not too tired after work? We can still cancel or move to another day.”

“No, I’m looking forward to our date, J,” Nino said and smiled as he realised just how true it was. “And I am looking forward to being fed by you. Just don’t stress yourself too much, okay?”

“I try. But you realise dating another band member is nothing I do regularly?”

“I should hope so,” Nino snorted. “Otherwise I would be rather disappointed.”

Jun chuckled, and Nino was glad that he sounded much more relaxed now. It was a good kind of chuckle. “See you later, Nino.”

“See you later, J.”

There were no new messages for the rest of the day, and Nino counted that as a success since it meant that Jun was relaxed enough to not ask him about every tiny thing he planned. 

—

It was almost nine when Nino stepped out of the apartment complex with Haru in tow. He looked around to see if he could already see Jun’s car somewhere, but it seemed as if Jun was not early and waiting already. That was good, Nino thought with a sigh and ruffled the soft fur of Haru around the neck as the dog sniffled around curiously. 

“We’ll wait for J, Haru,” he explained when Haru whined softly and tried to pull at the leash and grinned when the car rolled up beside him. He smiled when he looked inside and saw Jun at the driver’s seat.

“Hey,” Jun greeted, a cute blush on his cheeks and Nino’s grin widened.

“Hi, where should I put Haru? Backseat or in the back?”

“Whatever you think is better,” Jun said, and Nino rolled his eyes as he looked at the car. In the end, he decided on the backseat since he knew it was hard for Haru to jump into the back of the hood was that high and made sure that the dog lied down on a blanket he had brought just to be safe. 

He then climbed in on the passenger’s seat and then stared at Jun a bit nervously. He had almost moved forward to kiss Jun’s cheek since he was still looking adorably nervous, but he managed to stop himself.

“So where are you going to take me?”

“It’s a surprise,” Jun said after he had visibly shaken his head and whatever spell he was under off. “Your clothes are nice,” Jun added as he started the car and Nino looked a bit shyly at his hands. 

Since this was a date, he had tried to at least make an effort. He wore tight black jeans that looked stylishly ripped around the left knee and a shirt/top combination in black and white. To top it off he wore a warm fake leather jacket to keep away any cold wind if needed. There were no accessories aside from his regular watch since he always felt as if he was playing dress-up if he wore anything else. 

“Thank you. You look good as well,” he managed to tell him then and felt his heart beating a bit faster when he was rewarded with a genuine smile of Jun. But it was the truth after all. Jun wore a light brown sweatshirt with dark blue jeans and even if it were a very usual look Jun had managed to make it look impressive and stylish with accessories on his wrist and around his neck in a way Nino would never achieve.

Nino leant back on his seat and looked out of the window as they moved through Tokyo. Now and then Jun asked something about the work he had done earlier, but they mostly sat beside each other in comfortable silence. A grin appeared on his face as he realised that Jun brought them to Odaiba and he knew the night was going to be great. 

A/N: I will stop today here… Sorry not the real date that will be in the next chapter. I’m still getting used to writing them :D


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I have no idea about Odaiba and how it looks there. I tried to look it up. Honestly, I did, but nothing good came up, but the view of the Rainbow Bridge. I will make everything up where they are walking and sitting because it makes me anxious to try to fin any descriptions. I’m sorry

“The breeze is nice,” Nino hummed as he stepped out of the car in the parking lot. Haru whined from the back and Nino giggled as he allowed Jun to open it and then let Haru jump out and took his leash in his hand. “We are not forgetting you, you silly dog,” he said and ruffled his fur. “Did you greet Jun already?”

Haru whined low in his throat and walked to Jun who still looked a bit insecure at the dog but then relaxed when the dog nosed at his hand and Jun ruffled his fur in a greeting. 

“Good boy,” Nino said in a teasing voice chuckling when both Haru and Jun peeked up at his words. He decided not to clarify that he meant, of course, Haru, because Jun looked so adorably happy at being praised by Nino. 

“Shall we go?” Nino offered since Haru was impatiently tugging at the lead. Jun nodded and took a basket filled with their food, as Haru led the way to the shore. 

Nino and Jun walked beside each other for a while, and Nino glanced at the other man from time to time. Jun was slightly blushing beside him; the street lights did nothing to hide it. There was an annoying gap between them thought, that felt wrong. 

Which was something new. They usually never were as close as Nino was with Aiba or Ohno, because Jun was not comfortable to touch all the time, and Nino respected that. He knew that he could get closer to the younger than others, and now he finally had a clue why that was, but that didn’t mean he was happy with how it was now. 

Nino stepped closer to the other and carefully touched Jun’s hand with his own. Jun flinched slightly, looking at him and Nino looked back calmly but with a soft smile on his face to make sure Jun understood this was not an accident. 

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop his chuckle when Jun’s eyes brightened up, and the younger man closed the gap between them fully as he held Nino’s hand in his own. Nino squeezed back, enjoying the intensified blush on Jun’s cheeks, before he put his attention back to Haru, who was walking in front of them, not caring about what the humans did as he was busy sniffing at the flowers around, his tail wagging fast. 

Jun chuckled at the sight. “He is cute.”

“I know,” Nino said grinning proudly at the words and Jun rolled his eyes, before he cleared his throat. 

“Just like his owner.”

It was Nino’s turn to blush at the sudden praise and adverted his eyes. Jun grinned at the sight but luckily didn’t say anything. 

They walked side by side for a while longer in embarrassed silence, and Nino wondered where the easy flow between them had gone, but Jun was surprisingly shy and that in turn made Nino embarrassed. He was happy when his eyes caught the sign of a dog park, and he looked at Jun. 

“Let’s go there? Haru could run around freely a bit there.”

“Sounds good,” Jun agreed, smiling again, as Haru’s ears had perked up when he heard his name and looked back at Nino who grimaced at the dog but then led him to the park. Jun made sure the door was closed after they entered and Nino grinned as he saw how empty it was. It was one perk of dog parks, and the evenings he thought. There were only a few people because it was nothing interesting for humans. 

“Haru, come here,” Nino called, waiting patiently until the dog was beside him and then showed him the trained sign for sit with the command. He waited until Haru sat beside him and then took off the lash to allow Haru to run around and use all the small obstacles as he liked. 

Jun was rummaging through his basket and Nino took his hand in his own again, making him look up. “Wanna sit?” he pointed at a bench close to the entrance, and Jun nodded but stayed where he was. Nino was grinning as he dragged him over and sat on top of the bench, patting the seat beside him. 

“What did you bring in that magical basket?” Nino teased Jun, and the other blinked, before making a sound and pulling first a flask out of it, then two mugs and poured them some warm tea. “Well prepared,” Nino hummed and held the cups as Jun very slowly and embarrassed pulled out a flying disk that light up in the darkness. 

“I found this randomly in the store as I bought groceries. It caught my eyes, and I thought it would be fun?” he said. 

Nino huffed out a laugh since he was very confident that it was not a random found but that Jun walked into a pet shop to get it. “He will love it,” he said instead of teasing Jun, fearing that Jun might faint if Nino chose to do that. 

“Haru!” he called, and then when the dog looked up motioned for Jun to throw the disk since he had bought it. 

Nino laughed out loud though at the bad throw from Jun, but it was still enough for Haru to bark excitedly and chase the new toy. 

Jun grumbled and shoved his side, but Nino was still giggling as he presented him with the mug. 

“Your throws suck so much. I wonder how you can even play catch-ball.”

“I’ll show you,” Jun grumbled, and Nino grinned at the promise of that. 

“I’m looking forward to that then,” he said and pointed at Jun when Haru appeared with the disk sitting in front of them. 

“You have to thank J, Haru. He bought it, and he will throw it again, but be gentle.”

Jun looked at Nino but then relaxed when Nino shrugged. “He’s great. No need to fear him bite you,” he teased, and Jun huffed but started to play with Haru in earnest, making Nino grin. Nino took his mug in between his hands and leant back comfortable to watch them both play for a while longer. 

— 

After Haru had played enough Nino put the leash back on him and handed Jun the emptied mug. 

Jun looked a bit confused, but Nino was grinning. “Haru is tired, and I think there are better places to continue our date, don’t you think?”

“Is it fine for Haru to walk a bit more?”

“Of course,” Nino grinned and patted the back of his dog, as he stood. He waited for Jun to put the things back into the bag and took his hands in his own again as they walked alongside the pretty path to a grass patch, where Jun put down a blanket for them to sit on the ground. Nino giggled as Haru fell to the ground with a huff, his head on his paws as he fell to sleep beside them. 

“Is he okay?”

“Sure, he’s a dog, they are used to sleep outside, and it’s not cold, nor is it raining or I would be a very unhappy man,” Nino said. “Show me what your magical basket hides still. There is more right?”

“I got some treats for Haru… I didn’t know if it’s okay,” Jun trailed off when he looked at the still sleeping Haru and Nino shrugged. 

“He will be delighted when he wakes up, I’m sure. But now I need my date to pay attention to me and feed me. You told me to skip dinner, and I have a bandmate that is very strict and scary if I don’t take care of myself, I will have you know.”

Jun grinned at the words since he knew Nino was referring to himself. “Oh so then I should make sure not to meet that scary bandmate,” he said with a small scoff. 

Nino grinned brilliantly at the words. “Nah, he just shows his love that way. He is a softy, but food?”

Jun blushed but then concentrated on pulling boxes out of his bag to offer one of them to Nino. Nino opened it curiously, grinning as he saw his beloved hamburger bento, which he knew that Jun did cook only for him. 

“Thank you,” he said genuinely and started to eat his food with delight. 

Jun relaxed as he saw Nino eat and enjoy the food and Nino couldn’t help to mimic his stance, slowly leaning against Jun to rest his lower back and finish his meal while they watched the lights of the rainbow bridge. When Jun put his arm around his waist, he pressed further against his side and held it there, when it looked as if Jun wanted to draw away again. 

Jun squeezed his waist in answer, and Nino felt suddenly very warm all over as he breathed the very fresh scent of mint clinging to Jun. This was nice he thought, and the silence surrounding them, being so close was much nicer than the halted conversation they had tried earlier as well. 

It was late when Jun and Nino decided to leave. Nino had to hold Jun’s wrist and hand to make sure that Jun would not shy away from Haru’s snout as he offered the dog his bought treats. Still, the happy grin on Jun’s face when he succeeded was worth it and killed any sarcastic words in Nino’s mind as he handed over the leash to Jun and carried the bag instead now. 

Nino made sure Haru sat on his blanket, still disposed in Jun’s car and then climbed into the car beside Jun as the younger drove them home. 

“Keep the blanket for Haru, I have the feeling we will be using your car more than just today,” Nino said with a chuckle. “I have others for Haru to use for car rides.”

“Thank you,” Jun answered happily at the prospect of more trips. 

Nino stepped out of the car in front of his apartment complex, coaxing Haru out of the car and going to the driver’s seat. Jun obediently rolled down the window when Nino asked him to do so, and Nino chuckled. 

“Thank you for the nice evening J,” he whispered and moved forwards to kiss his cheek, enjoying the heat under his lips for a second when Jun shyly averted his eyes, before nodding and leaving. 

Jun was adorable, he thought, as he watched him leave and looked back at Haru. “You think I could love him?” he asked, smiling when Haru barked once as if he agreed with his owner. And Nino pretended that it didn’t sound like laughter as he led him inside. After all, he loved all of Arashi, not just Jun!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I finally wrote again, and it’s all because of mikunichii because I saw it’s her birthday today and I thought maybe this would be okay as a small gift. Sorry if it’s awful <3 have a nice day, and thank you for contributing many Suezu-pictures for me.

Nino looked up from his phone when he could feel another person hovering beside him. He frowned as he looked up to see if he had missed any calls and pulled out his headphones when he saw Jun beside the sofa. He was holding two cups of coffee - bought from the expensive coffee shop down the street - and looked adorably shy while at the same time tried hard to look as if he knew what he as doing. 

“Hi, already here?”

“Yes, I thought I should come in earlier to review some papers,” Jun said and offered him one cup. “I came across the coffee shop and since it was empty… They got the wrong order though so I got two…” he said and trailed off as Nino bit his lips as to not giggle at his antics and took the offered cup. 

“Thank you,” he said. He sniffed the scent of the coffee, surprised at the slight smell of chocolate and his eyes twinkled a bit. He sometimes enjoyed coffee with chocolate but would never treat himself to it (unless he was really bummed out). “You’re lucky I was here, huh? Two coffees for you would be a bit too much caffeine.” 

Nino hid his grin behind the Styrofoam lid of the cup when a slight blush decorated Jun’s cheeks at his words as he bent low over the table to stare at some papers. He decided to not call Jun out on what he was doing. It was cute, though. 

“Yeah, I’m surprised you are here already,” Jun mumbled after clearing his throat. “But it would have been a waste if they threw it out.”

“True,” Nino hummed as he took a sip with a happy sigh. He patted the space on the sofa beside him and pulled a leg up to cross it under the other. “Come here.”

Jun looked up with a little confused look on his face but did as he was told. His movements were slow and deliberate as he stared at Nino, who just smiled. 

“The interview was boring. I answered as short as possible,” Nino hummed. “I thought it was silly to go back home. Haru is with my neighbour, and he always flips when he hears me in my apartment through the walls.”

“Oh, he isn’t in puppy daycare?”

“How do you know about that?” 

Jun shrugged and stared at his coffee. He had removed the lid and for a second Nino felt a bit jealous that someone had made a heart in the foam with something sugary. He couldn’t help himself as his hand moved forward to swipe across the art and put it in his mouth. 

“Mhm… cinnamon,” he hummed, when Jun complained. “I was curious. It looked yummy.”

“Drink your coffee,” Jun snorted. “And I know about puppy daycare because you mentioned it once. Haru normally goes there, right?”

“Yes, but only if there is no work until late at night. And this recording always takes until after midnight.” Nino wrinkled his nose in apparent distaste at the thought of how late it would be when he came home. “My neighbour will feed him dinner and then bring him over around ten pm after his last round.”

“Oh… It seems to be awfully complicated.”

“It is,” Nino said but then shrugged. “But I am lucky that my neighbour likes me.”

Jun pouted and pinched him slightly, which made Nino laugh out loud. He put his head on Jun’s shoulder and smiled. 

“He likes Haru. But he doesn’t want a dog of his own. And if he can’t take Haru, I bring him over to my mom’s place. I want to minimise the time he is with others. He is my dog and my duty to take care of him. I can’t just get a dog and then give him to others all the time if it doesn’t fit.”

Jun hummed to show him that he had been listening but didn’t answer anymore and Nino chuckled as he slowly sipped his drink. When he had finished it, he moved forward and pressed his lips against Jun’s cheek. “Thank you for the treat, J.”

“Always,” Jun said, still slightly blushing and Nino smiled again as he sat up to let Jun go over the documents he needed. Nino was sure it had been mostly made up, but he knew that there was always stuff Jun would look over and maybe if he started now it would mean that Jun would finish earlier and go home right after the last recording and not stay up until four am. 

Maybe, Nino thought as he lied on the sofa to get comfortable, he would invite Jun over to make sure he got some sleep. The circles under his eyes were slowly worrying. But maybe Jun wouldn’t be happy with him interfering. 

He sighed softly and didn’t even realise how over his worries, his eyes fell shut, and he dozed off. The last thing he noticed was Jun putting a blanket over him and patting his hair. 

— 

Nino grumbled when he woke to an insistent finger poking his cheek. He hit the disturbing thing, but there was only a chuckle coming from the awful man disturbing him. 

“Oh-chan!” he grumbled, and Ohno giggled. 

“Morning, Nino.”

“What is it?”

“We have to get ready for recording,” Ohno said, and Nino groaned as he opened his eyes unhappily. He sat up, surprised to feel a blanket slid down his shoulders but also immensely thankful that someone - Jun, he thought with a small happy smile - had made sure he wouldn’t freeze. 

His eyes wandered around the room, he could see Jun leaving the room, probably heading for the stylists and that only he and Ohno were currently present.

He glared at Ohno and pouted. “Aiba is not here yet,” he said. Sho was always the first to change - mostly because he was the most careful with his outfit - then Jun, Ohno, Nino and Aiba last, but if any of them took a nap they would go last to make sure they have enough time to relax. 

Ohno grinned and lifted his hands to show him he was unarmed. “Jun-kun told me to wake you up so that you had time to regain composure. You’re always so sluggish when you sleep until the last minute. His words, not mine.”

Nino frowned, but he couldn’t help the small blush creeping up his neck. He knew that Jun was right and that he preferred being woken up early for recordings. His eyes fell on Ohno, who was grinning, and he pushed him. 

“What?”

“Jun-kun was really kind,” he said and wriggled his eyebrows.

“What?”

“He brought a homemade bento.”

“So?” Nino said and rubbed his eyes as he rubbed his stomach at the thought of food. Right he only had breakfast since he had wanted to eat lunch with the rest. And he slept through that, he thought with a sigh. Meaning he would have to get a snack from the vending machines. Those never were filling enough.

Ohno’s smirk got wider, and for a moment Nino honestly wanted to shove Ohno or hit him, whatever made the other stop grinning like he was missing something very obvious. Sometimes Ohno could do that to him, even if he loved him most of the times. 

“He waited until Sho, and I ordered food and almost finished eating before opening his bento and declaring that he would share since he prepared too much and wasn’t that hungry,” Ohno explained theatrically. “But we were already too full. He told me that since it’s wasteful to throw it, I should make you eat the rest.”

“What?” Nino asked and felt a little like a parrot. Especially when Ohno’s grin got wider. But to be fair, Ohno was talking way too fast and much for his mind to cope while he was still mulling over what to eat. 

“And what a coincidence that he made teriyaki meatballs with broccoli and rice,” Ohno added as he pulled the bento box from behind his back with an unnecessary flourish to hold it in front of Nino like and offering.

Nino blinked, as he stared at the food, his mind finally catching up to the implication to Ohno’s words and he really kicked out to Ohno’s side this time, who just chuckled and shoved the box into his hands. 

“Eat,” Ohno advised and winked at him as he got to his feet just as the door opened and Aiba came in breathlessly, telling them that he is sorry for being so late. Ohno put an arm around the other’s shoulder and led him outside to go to the changing rooms. 

“We’ll still have thirty minutes… Nino’s last today,” Nino could hear as the door fell shut and Aiba’s breathy laughter as an answer. 

Nino stared at the homemade food and felt his heart sing at the carefully arranged food inside. He smiled as he put a piece of rolled egg into his mouth before thanking for the food and starting to eat it. 

He sighed as he closed his eyes at the perfect taste, his heart beating faster as this reminded him of their first (and sadly so far last) date two weeks ago. 

He popped the last strawberry of the fruit salad on the side as a dessert in his mouth when Jun entered the room with Sho in tow. 

“Ah, you’re up,” Sho said, surprised. 

“Oh-chan was annoying and woke me. He told me to have the rest of your bento. It was delicious. Thank you,” Nino said to Jun who looked a bit confused for a second, which made Nino’s heart sink, but then a happy look crossed his face and Nino relaxed again. 

“That’s good. Can’t have you starve during filming,” Jun said. 

“And you don’t have to throw things away,” Sho said. “He was grumbling about wasting food. So good that you slept through lunch.”

“Happy coincidences,” Nino agreed with a nod, as he packed the box again and handed it over to Jun, making sure that their fingers touched when Jun took it from him. “Thank you again. I wouldn’t have known what to do without that meal,” he said and felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the second meaning, hoping that Jun realised that he was sincerely happy of the other thinking of him like that. 

When Jun blushed slightly, Nino was sure he got the meaning and flinched when the door was thrown open. 

“Nino they’re waiting for you,” Ohno said, and Nino looked up, frowning at Ohno as the older looked from one to the other before his lips formed a grin again. He was so going to smother him today! And if he had to jump through loops, Ohno would fall for at least one of their three recordings!


	6. Chapter 6

Nino lifted an eyebrow when Ohno sat down beside him on the sofa. He glanced at the other man and sighed when Ohno softly elbowed him. He put down his game and pulled a leg closer to his body to sit more comfortably. 

“What is it?” he asked, and Ohno chuckled warmly. They were the only ones in the dressing room. Aiba and Sho had gone out to the agency’s cafeteria to get lunch together and talk about whatever. Nino didn’t care much. Aiba and Sho had many interests that were not in Nino’s list of interests, so he didn’t listen too closely. Only enough to check if he could maybe get treated for lunch by them or if they talked about work or games. Neither of it would happen so he decided to stay back. 

Jun had checked the offered meals in the cafeteria and decided that nothing would fit his taste today and went out to get something at the restaurant down the street. He had mumbled something about a special ingredient that was supposed to be super healthy. Again, Nino hadn’t listened too closely as he was not interested in food either. (Still, Jun had promised to bring him something healthy as well and Nino had had a hard time to hide his smile at that promise.)

He had no idea why Ohno was here, but he supposed it was partly because Ohno wanted to talk to him alone. He had no idea why and he felt slightly uncomfortable as he remembered the smirk Ohno had sent his way before filming had started and then the glances of him towards Nino and Jun whenever they were close (and even when they were not close.)

“You and Jun, huh?” Ohno said, and Nino stiffened slightly at the low voice. 

He knew that Ohno would not scold him. They decided early that as long as they were careful, it didn’t matter if they were dating and who. Gods, most of them knew he was gay. That Jun was also gay was a surprise, but Nino supposed Jun was bi. Not that they had talked about it, he thought with a small frown on his face. Maybe they should have talked about that already. But it was awkward, so it was better to let it evolve naturally, he thought. 

“What about us?” Nino asked when he realised that Ohno was staring at him with a knowing look that made Nino very uncomfortable. Did Ohno think he was deeply in love with Jun? Did Ohno want to tell him that he knew they would end up together? Or did Ohno look right through him and knew that Nino had done and was about to scold him not to have told Jun the truth, but agreed to try dating. 

Then again, Nino thought. It was hard to feel bad about it since Jun had looked so cute and hopeful and nervous at his home. There was no way he would have been able to tell him anything else. 

“You both need to be careful,” Ohno said and sighed when he felt Nino stiffen even more. He put his hand on his mouth to stop any arguments and smiled when Nino hissed almost like a cat, as he glared at him. “And you both are cute together. Dancing around each other like that. I suppose it’s something recent between you two?”

Nino relaxed when he realised that Ohno was not telling him to stop it right away. Nino didn’t know why, but the thought of being told to stop pursuing a relationship with Jun made him really unhappy. Nino sighed inwardly because it would be the perfect excuse to get out of this mess if he told Jun they couldn’t because their leader and company told them to. But the thought didn’t sit right with him. And Jun would probably be really sad again. Nino never wanted to see Jun sad. He really did not. 

“I’m glad you know?”

“Huh?” Nino blinked and looked at the other with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth which made Ohno giggle. It was seldom that Nino was so confused and looked so young, he thought with a chuckle. But it was nice to see him less guarded than usual. 

“You were very brave to take that step finally.”

“Finally?”

“Nino,” Ohno sighed, and he sounded way too much like the older caring brother than he had any right to display. 

Nino furrowed his brows and pursed his lips when Ohno watched him just silently for a while longer before he patted his head and ruffled his hair only with his fingertips. 

“You’re too adorable and clueless for your own good sometimes. But we are not blind. We know you were especially fond of Jun from the start,” he said and then stood. “So I’m glad you were honest to yourself, and it worked out well. I’ll be rooting for you, but please be careful, okay?”

“We won’t endanger Arashi,” Nino mumbled instead of yelling that it was all because Jun was Arashi’s baby. He was sure that Ohno would outright laugh at him then and he didn’t want that. 

Ohno looked at him with a small sigh and shook his head. “That’s not what I meant, and you know that. Come on, let’s grab lunch finally?”

“J will bring me something,” Nino mumbled almost sullenly when Ohno smirked again. He grumbled and threw a cushion to him. “Shut up.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“You’re are thinking it. Go away,” he said just as the door opened to reveal Jun. Jun looked at them in confusion and pointed at himself. 

“What did I do?”

“Not you! Oh-chan is a bully,” he grumbled and stuck out his tongue when Ohno laughed but allowed Jun full entrance and left to leave them alone.

Jun was staring at Nino who was getting redder and redder under the stare, but then he came over and put down the bag he had brought. “What was that about?”

“Oh-chan was congratulating us,” Nino mumbled after a while. There was no reason to beat around the bush he thought with a sigh. At least it wouldn’t catch Jun off-guard if Ohno made some comments. 

“Ah,” Jun said and busied himself as he offered Nino a bento. Nino looked at it curiously and saw that it was a taco bowl with a happy smile. “Right you wanted to hide it.”

“Not hiding,” Nino said and sighed as he removed the lid and thanked for the food before he started to eat. “I just thought… It was better to wait until we were more secure. Went to a few more dates, were sure this is right.” He motioned helplessly between Jun and himself and Jun frowned.

“Do you feel like it’s not?”

“NO!” Nino shouted and groaned after a moment. “We are good. I’m just… I don’t know.”

“We just had one date so far,” Jun agreed, and Nino nodded. 

Jun glanced at him, and Nino knew it was mostly down to him. He had told Jun he would plan their second date, but then work had gotten even more stressful, and he had forgotten. Jun was so sweet to him that he forgot the need to move it forward if he wanted to be honest to his promise to try. He nibbled on his food and thought it over. 

What should he offer Jun? He was not a person who enjoyed being outside. Jun was though. Then there was the problem that they were both easily recognisable outside, especially Jun. Nino was sure that nobody ever mistook Jun for not being who he was. On the other hand, it was easier to go out for dinner as the two of them, because nobody would think anything about it, since they were in the same band. 

“Eat properly,” Jun scolded when he saw that Nino hadn’t even eaten a quarter of his lunch. 

Nino blinked and stuffed another bite into his mouth as his eyes fell to the big clock on the wall. Their break would be over soon. 

“Hey, Jun?”

“Mhm?”

“When do we both have a free day together the next time?”

Jun looked at him with a lifted eyebrow before he chuckled. “Shouldn’t you find that out on your own?”

Nino shrugged. That was probably the proper way, but he knew that Sho and Jun always had all their schedules in their brain. So he could just use that. 

“In two weeks,” Jun answered in a while, and Nino grimaced. 

“Way too far away, and the possibility is too high that something will come up by then,” he grumbled.

“Next Monday I’m free the whole day, and you only have recordings scheduled in the morning,” Jun said then, and Nino’s eyes lightened up. 

“Good, we’ll go out then!” he declared, but then frowned when Jun pursed his lips. “Not good?”

“I don’t want to force you. I’m sure you planned playing games all night since you are free the next morning.”

Nino shrugged but then shook his head. “You’re more important,” he said easily because that was the truth. “Do you have an early morning on Tuesday?”

“No,” Jun shook his head. 

“Good, then we are at least having dinner and drinks together.”

“You can’t leave Haru all night,” Jun snorted, and again Nino shrugged. 

“He won’t be. I’ll either bring him to mum for a few days or ask my neighbour for those two days. But Haru likes staying with mum from time to time. She always pampers him, telling me that he is her grandchild after all. Using that logic I can say Haru loves his grandma,” Nino said with a snicker. 

Jun stared at him in confusion for a moment before he laughed. “You’re horrible.”

“And still you agreed to a date.” Nino was smiling teasingly, and Jun blushed slightly. 

It was adorable, Nino thought as he quickly moved forward to peck Jun’s cheek and then finally finished his food. It was too good to waste it, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Nino frowned hard at the phone in his hand and then sighed a little when a paw tapped his knee, and Haru whined softly under his breath. He smiled and got to his knees to hug the dog around his neck. 

"I'm not mad at you," he told him and grinned when he got a small yip as an answer. Haru wagged his tail as he walked back to his bed and fell on top of it with a huff. His tail was still wagging slowly though, and his head was put on his favourite bunny toy, as he stared at Nino. He had been excited since he had heard his name spoken a few times until Nino's shoulders slumped and the phone call ended. There was a particular stance in Nino that Haru always interpreted as bad news. Even if Nino was glad for Haru to get the small changes in his body languages usually, today it hadn't been because of him. At least not only because of him. 

Nino wouldn't lie and say that the call with his mother had gone well, but it was not Haru's fault. He rubbed his face and grumbled slightly as he dialled the number for Jun's cell, before cancelling the call when he remembered that Jun was most probably working right now. 

**Hey, mum can't look after Haru, she got ill, and I don't want to burden her… We still can go for dinner, but not much more. I’m sorry.**

Nino sighed as he sat down on the sofa and proceeded to cancel the reservation for the cinema he had made. He couldn't leave Haru alone for too long during the night. Not if it could be helped and dinner plus a movie would be a bit much, probably. He wrinkled his nose as he threw his head back and groaned slightly as the back of his head connected with the small wall behind the sofa instead of the backrest.

The thought of spending so little time with Jun was not a good one, he thought with a frown. And that was so strange. Why did he want to spend more time with Jun than necessary? His eyes wandered to the picture on a shelf. It had all of them in it. It was taken shortly after their fifth anniversary. None of them could believe they already managed five years. They were still not on the top, even scared of being told to disband sooner rather than later. Before that anniversary they had all been unsure if they wanted to continue but somehow…

Aiba promising to make it to the top, them looking back to the last five years and the easy friendship they had fallen into, had made them swear to make Aiba's wish come true and not to give up. 

A small smile appeared on his face as his eyes finally fell on him and Jun. Jun was beside him, grinning widely and happily into the camera. An arm was slung around Nino's shoulder, and Nino had his head on Jun's shoulder. Nino remembered how tipsy he had been when they took the picture and how drunk he had gotten over time. 

Still, Jun had been steadily at his side, helping him stand and walk and taken him home to look after him during the night. Nino was sure he had been a nuisance then. But Jun had not complained but even helped him throw up and hold him throughout it. 

Nino took a deep breath as he observed Jun more closely. He imagined that Jun was looking at him fondly, but he was sure it was just his imagination. That and Ohno's stupid words. Had he been extra fond of Jun all the time? Jun was always hard working and so earnest. It was something that Nino appreciated deeply in people. Nino liked having fun and teasing others, but work always came first. It was nice to be with people who thought similar. 

And Jun always loved Arashi. Nino already loved Arashi deeply, but he liked watching the others more. Jun wanted them to become the best, always pushed them, thought up how to put them into the spotlight the best way possible and he always made sure to think of each individual member and Arashi as a group at the same time. 

Nino wanted to make Jun happy. He always did. When Jun was rested and happy he was the best kind of Jun, Nino thought. But that was normal for friends, he thought. 

He shook his head when his phone beeped, indicating a new message, and he hid his smile behind his elbow when Jun's name appeared on the screen. 

**Going out didn't suit you well from the beginning. We could meet at my place? That would be easier for me.**

Nino frowned and then nibbled at his lower lip as he stared at Haru and thought it over. A home date would fit his preferences more, but Nino was not sure that Jun would appreciate dog fur over his stuff.

**You can bring Haru and stay overnight if it gets too late. But since you asked me for a date you have to pay for dinner!**

Nino giggled, hiding his suddenly warm face in his hands before he calmed down and was able to answer. 

**Okay. Write to me when you are home, and I'll be sure to come over then—looking forward to it.** He stared at the message for a while, his heart feeling light and his stomach slightly nervous at the thought of how much truth was into these words. He looked forward to meeting Jun for their date. He looked forward to spending time with him and being close to him, and it was honestly confusing and scaring him in a way he was not sure he wanted to look further into. 

Nino stood to pack a small bag with his stuff and things for Haru, making sure to pack enough dog food for tonight and the next morning, before calling the restaurant he had reserved for them and asked if they would also offer food for taking out. It was an exclusive Italian restaurant, and Nino wanted to offer Jun at least some luxury tonight. 

—

Hours later Nino stood in front of Jun's apartment and had a hard time to balance his backpack with his clothes, Haru with his leash, a big bag with Haru's stuff and the way too big bag with their food. He groaned slightly when Haru whined as sounds were coming from inside and clicked his tongue. 

"Stay calm," he said to Haru, who whined lowly but luckily sat down beside him. The last thing Nino would be able to deal with right now was Haru jumping on Jun and unbalancing everything Nino held. 

Jun chuckled as he observed him and took the bags from his hand, allowing Nino to enter the apartment. 

"Hi," Nino said, feeling his cheeks heat up as he saw Jun in a very soft looking shirt with long sleeves and jogging bottoms. He wore his glasses and his hair was unstyled and still slightly wet, telling Nino that Jun had just finished a shower. 

Nino let the leash fall and stepped on it so that Haru would not be able to wander off and Jun blushed under his gaze, making Nino smile.

"Hey," Jun finally answered, moving close to peck Nino's lips whose heart chose to beat faster at the soft touch of their mouths. "Did everything go well?"

"Yup, didn't even have to pay a fee for cancelling the reservations," Nino grinned. "And I brought a movie since I planned a dinner out and then a movie in the cinema," he added as he pointed to his backpack. He put it down before reaching for the bag with Haru's stuff and pulled out a towel, he used to clean the paws of the dog and finally took off the leash to put it on a hook, his coat soon followed and he slipped out of his boots and into the house slippers he always used whenever they were over at Jun's place. 

A small frown appeared on his face, as he realised this was the first time he visited Jun all alone. He usually only visited Aiba's home for games, drinks or food. It was a bit strange and awkward, especially with Haru. 

"Come in then. Movie night sounds good. And the food smells heavenly."

"Should be it cost me a small fortune," Nino mumbled, blushing when Jun threw him an amused glance. God, how embarrassing. He hadn't wanted to say it out loud. "Uhm… I mean it should be good. The restaurant is high class," he added a bit lamely, as he followed Jun, telling Haru to follow close by. 

Nino pointed at the blanket that Jun had put close to the sofa. "Down."

Haru sighed but followed the directions, looking at them pleadingly. 

"Is he hungry?" Jun asked curiously, and Nino giggled as he shook his head. 

"It's not yet dinner time for him, but you didn't greet him. So he is pouting."

"Ah!" Jun said as his eyes widened in understanding. He pushed the bag with their meals into Nino's arms and took a step forward before stopping and looking at Nino. "I can greet him, right?"

"Sure."

"Okay, then you can put those onto plates. Beer and wine are in the kitchen. I didn't know what you would prefer."

"Dinner in the kitchen?" Nino asked carefully, and Jun wrinkled his nose. 

"No. We are already home, let's eat on the sofa and watch the movie, it's comfier."

Nino's eyes twinkled in amusement at those words but nodded. It was seldom that Jun allowed himself to relax so much and somehow Nino felt very special to be treated that way. He went to the kitchen to pull out the plates and bowls they would need for their dinner and started to move their food from their take-out boxes onto them. He looked at his hands with a low hum and thought how strange it was. 

Compared to other dates he was used to this felt just so familiar. But not in a way that made it like nothing special, but in a way that felt much more intimate. Nino's eyes wandered to the living room, and he could see a bit of hair peeking out from over the sofa when laughter rang through the room, as Haru barked and Nino was pretty sure that the dog greeted Jun profusely. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he poured red wine that he knew Jun preferred into a high wine glass and took a can of beer for himself out of the fridge. He put a bottle of water on the tray and carried it all back to the living room. 

"I have to wash my face," Jun said with a chuckle, and Nino grinned as well. 

"You can scold him, and he knows I hate it when he does that."

"I'm happy that he doesn't want to nibble on me," Jun said instead, and Nino giggled as Jun left the room. 

Nino carefully put the tray on the table in front of the sofa, pulling it closer as well, before picking up the remote and putting in the movie he had chosen. Jun had mentioned in passing that he was interested in watching it, so Nino was sure he would be happy with his choice. As he settled back down on the sofa to wait for Jun, Nino had to wonder if the real intimacy was to know your way around another's home so comfortably.

Jun climbed on the sofa beside him, his shoulders bumping slightly against Nino's as he got comfortable. 

"I had wanted to watch this! That's great," he cheered as he took a plate. 

Nino hid his smile and winked at him. "I know," he said. "What kind of magician would I be if I didn't know such a thing?"

Jun watched him in confusion for a second before he chuckled and Nino swept down suddenly to kiss Jun's stunned lips. He couldn't help himself. This brilliantly smiling Jun was someone he wanted to protect. He was just too precious. Jun leant carefully against him, eating his pasta after he was sure that Nino was settled with his food and Nino felt hyper-aware of the other very suddenly. 

His skin felt hot where Jun's skin touched him sometimes, Jun's warm breath was hitting his neck when he moved as his hairs tickled his cheek and for a second Nino hated Ohno. Why did the older man have to be right all the freaking time?!

Nino was watching Jun concentrating the movie, thinking about how perfect this felt. He moved closer, smiling when Jun automatically hugged him and moved his head to start another small kiss. Jun returned it soon, and Nino felt himself being tugged closer to the other and braced himself on top of Jun's lap. He was just about to deepen the kiss, wanting to taste him better finally, when Haru suddenly growled and barked at the TV. Nino yelped surprised as he lost his precious balance on top of Jun and fell onto him. He stared at Haru wide-eyed, who was now looking at the two men, the epitome of bad consciousness since he knew that barking at the TV was bad. 

"I think Haru wants our attention," Jun said a bit breathlessly, and Nino sighed.

"Seems like it," he agreed with a pout. Jun chuckled against the warm skin of his neck, and Nino felt a shiver run over his spine when Jun kissed the hollow behind his ear with just a touch of tongue and the silent promise of more later.


	8. Chapter 8

Jun grinned when Haru jumped after Nino who clicked his tongue slightly and looked at his dog. “Haru, calm down,” he said slowly and lifted his hand, palm showing towards Haru. “Sit.”

“He is very well behaved,” Jun mumbled when Haru sat, and Nino ruffled the fur at his neck with a smile. “It is funny that if you are focused on something, it works out so well.”

“Are you saying I’m usually lazy?” Nino asked with a chuckle as he rummaged through the bag he had brought with him. Jun had already filled one of the bowls with fresh water after they arrived and now he was looking for the second bowl and the dog food he had brought. 

“I’m saying that you are easily bored and then do things only halfway.”

“Dog training is important. And fun,” Nino said with a shrug. He put the bowl down and looked up at Jun with a smile. “And it is always better to know that he behaves well. I take him to the dog park often when I have the time. Sadly not so much lately that’s why Haru is so cheeky. I seldom had the time to tire him out. Mum would have done it if she hadn’t fallen ill,” he explained.

“Huh… They must be proud to share a dog park with an idol,” Jun teased and Nino laughed out loud. 

“I don’t think they recognise me. Maybe the regulars. But opposite to you, I am pretty ordinary when I’m out. I look too poor to be a national star while not poor enough to be suspicious.”

Jun pouted since it honestly didn’t matter what he wore people recognised him. 

“It’s your face. It’s pretty unique.”

“It’s awful right?” Jun asked insecurely, and Nino shook his head.

“It’s good. I like your face,” he said and grinned as he finally pulled out the dog food. “And as much as I love talking with you, I should feed him. Where would you prefer?”

“Kitchen. I can clean the tiles the easiest there,” Jun said, blushing slightly. But it was better than the wooden floor in the living room, he thought. 

Nino grinned and nodded. It was not that he did handle it differently. Kitchen tiles could be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected if needed. “Come on then, boy,” he said and rattled the dog food. Giggling when Haru barked once and followed him. Nino told him to stay back and wait as he filled his bowl and put it down. 

“Wait,” he said, and even if Haru’s tail swung from one side to the other excitedly, he stayed put until Nino allowed to eat. 

“It’s probably really thanks to your training that he doesn’t hurt me,” Jun hummed from where he had observed Nino and Haru from the doorway. It was an adorable sight to see Nino handle his dog after all and he was somehow happy that Nino decided after much contemplating to take Haru in. They had been against it at first because of all the stress Arashi was in, but it did Nino a lot of good. 

Besides, it was probably the only reason Nino got out regularly, Jun thought dryly. Which was good for his health he supposed. They had been worried about Nino getting too little sun before, and it would be good not to repeat that. 

“Haru likes you,” Nino hummed and then chuckled when Jun blinked in confusion. “That’s why he doesn’t nibble on you, well maybe he will play in future but if so it’s all in a try to get you to play with him.”

Jun nodded and blushed slightly. 

“What were you thinking about?” Nino asked teasingly as he realised that Jun got a bit uncomfortable. There was a teasing smirk on his face, and Jun frowned before he visibly straightened up. 

“You,” he said straight forward, and now it was Nino’s turn to get slightly shy.

“I’m not sure that’s good,” he said, and Jun frowned. Of course, it was good, he thought with an eye roll but decided not to say anything. 

“Do we need to stay in the kitchen with him?”

“Nope,” Nino said chuckling. “I’m just used to it. We eat together normally. Probably why he even was a bit restless to start with when we ate.”

“Aww poor Haru, you can’t neglect him because I am distracting you,” Jun said, and Nino laughed out loud. 

“I’ll try to be better then,” he said with a wink enjoying the bit of colour he put on Jun’s face that way. 

Nino watched Jun who lounged on the sofa, stretched out, his feet stuffed under a cushion to keep them warm, his head was against another big pillow, and their shoulders touched. Haru had his head on Nino’s lap, and Jun was patting him lazily. It was very comfortable. 

“Tired?” Nino asked Jun as he saw that he almost nodded off and Jun hummed in agreement. “Has work been tough?”

“Same as always, but it’s late.”

“I suppose,” Nino agreed and played with Haru’s ear who huffed. “Shall I go home?”

“Stay? We can have breakfast together,” Jun asked, and he looked so hopeful that Nino couldn’t say no. 

“If it’s your treat?” he said then, couldn’t help himself.

“Sure we can go for a morning walk and then have breakfast in the bakery down the street if the weather is nice?”

“Are dogs allowed?”

“On the terrace, yes. If it’s full, we can buy it and come back here.”

Nino smiled and cupped his cheek, chuckling at the slightly hoarse hairs he could feel now under his fingers. It just showed how long they had stayed close today, and now he couldn’t wait to feel how it has changed the next morning. Intimacy was also to see one as sleepy and comfortable as Jun was right now, he thought. 

“Sounds good.”

His heart beat a bit faster at the thought of the next level of intimacy to see one’s lover right after waking up all unflattering and crumbled. He couldn’t wait. 

“Shall I bring you to bed?” Nino asked, smiling when instead of getting up, leant more heavily against him, his eyes now fully closed.

“What about you? Not tired yet?”

“I will camp out on the sofa,” Nino said with a chuckle. 

Jun hesitated and moved back suddenly to look at him. “Haru can’t deal with being alone?”

“Of course he can,” Nino said in confusion. 

“Then join me in bed?”

“I thought you wanted to take this slow?” Nino asked, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed. Wasn’t this too fast? Jun had been so shy.

“Just sleeping, nothing more, and I would worry too much about your back,” Jun said with a pout, his cheeks slightly rosy at the thought of more. 

“You don’t have to force himself,” Nino said and chuckled. “I’m fine.”

Jun furrowed his brows and almost glared. “The sofa is too fancy to be slept on!” he declared suddenly. 

Nino’s mouth fell open at the words before he erupted in laughter. “Okay, okay, I’m convinced,” he said still giggling when Jun grumbled and poked his side. 

“Stop laughing.”

“Sorry, sorry, but you are adorable.”

Jun snorted since nobody would call him adorable other than his stupid bandmates and usually not to his face like that. 

“Haru you stay here. We’ll keep the door slightly open if you are scared,” Nino said as he followed Jun who was pulling him to his feet.

Haru whined and huffed as Nino prepared his bed closer to the bedroom door, making sure to have it on the side they didn’t need to use to go to the bathroom. 

Jun was in the bathroom first, preparing it for Nino to use and almost ran to the bedroom when he was ready, telling Nino to join him when he was ready. 

Nino giggled and ruffled Haru’s fur again, lifting his head and smiled down at him when Haru yawned and licked his chin once. He was more nervous than he wanted to admit. He got ready carefully and probably more slowly than needed before slipping into the bedroom. 

Jun looked up, his glasses already gone, and Nino had to smile when Jun patted the empty side of the bed. Nino slid under the blankets beside Jun, who hesitantly put his arms around his hips.

“Is this okay?”

“Very,” Nino said and bent forward to press his lips against Jun, smiling at the minty smell that hit him. “Good-night Jun-pon. Sleep well.”

“Good-night,” Jun agreed and settled down. Nino carefully got comfortable around him as well, watching him silently. Their faces were so close that he could feel the breath of Jun getting more even, telling him Jun fell to sleep even before the arm around his hips grew heavy. 

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Was this okay? He wasn’t sure. He had to accept that the feelings for Jun he had were more than mere friendship. And usually, Nino would just roll with it. He already knew Jun felt the same, so there was no fear of destroying their friendship. But they were how they were now because of a lie, and Nino didn’t know how to handle that. 

Tell Jun the truth? Or keep it to himself, fearing that somehow Jun would realise over time and detest him for that. That would destroy not only any blooming relationship but also their friendship. And if that happened, he had only himself to blame—something he didn’t enjoy ever and would hate even more now. 

He sighed and closed his eyes. He had been so stupid.


	9. Chapter 9

Nino woke way too early the next morning because Haru whined and huffed restlessly for a few minutes. He had waited for the dog to settle down again, but that didn’t happen, so Nino knew it was time for him to wake up and take Haru outside. 

He sighed since he would love to spend longer beside Jun, enjoying the warmth of another body beside him and the small sounds coming from the other still deep asleep it was so adorable, and he wanted more of that. 

“You’re a menace,” he whispered when he finally managed to climb out of bed and walk over. Haru yipped in his usual high tone if he was unhappy about something, and Nino chuckled as he ruffled his fur. He glanced back again for a second, but Jun was still asleep and never good with being woken up. He grimaced and looked down at Haru, who now was moving towards the door with a whine. He knew it was his fault. He hadn’t let Haru out again before going to sleep, so an early morning it was. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled and left the doorway finally. He slipped into his shoes, putting the leash around Haru and snatched the keys to Jun’s apartment from the bowl with a silent apology for doing so. He slipped out of the flat and soon after the complex to walk Haru over to a spot that seemed to be reserved for dogs. He yawned as he watched Haru, who did his business and rubbed his face. 

“No walks yet. We will go back up and wait for J to wake up,” he explained to Haru, who barked but then nudged his hips, and Nino grinned. He never felt silly about talking to Haru, even if he knew others would be. He brought him back up, as silent as possible and was glad when he saw that Jun was still asleep. He could only imagine what bad of light it would shine on him if he left Jun without waking him up, he thought with a grimace. On the other hand, though, Jun knew he had Haru to take care of and probably how dogs worked and how they needed to take care of their businesses as well. 

He was way too worried, he thought with a grimace and pursed lips. He knew it was partly because of his thoughts the night before, but he would take care of that today. 

Nino knelt on the floor beside Haru and hugged him tightly. He buried his face in the soft fur with a small groan before staring at the dog. “I hope it goes well. You need to be on your best behaviour today so that J realises that I am great.” Nino chuckled when Haru answered back and took it as an affirmative before he stood and vanished to the bathroom, awake enough to have to take care of his own bodily needs. 

Back in the living room, he stared at the door to the bedroom for a while, not sure if he should rejoin Jun on the bed, wake him or sit on the sofa to wait for him to wake up. Jun had been awfully tired yesterday, but he knew he would not be able to fall asleep again. Thanks to Haru, he was awake now.

He stood at the doorway, watching Jun for a while longer before he huffed at himself and walked over to the bed. He slipped under the covers again and sighed happily at the warmth Jun still gave off. He watched him with a small smile on his face, his head cushioned on his arm as he looked down on Jun. Jun was pretty, he thought with a chuckle. Not the standard cool look he gave off for filmings. He was not perfect, honestly. There were marks and scars on his face, the stubble on his chin and cheeks had grown overnight, and he looked rough that way. 

Very different from what he was used to during their workday. Even if Jun did not wear make-up all the time, he took care of himself. He made sure that he looked presentable, and it was just different to the Jun Nino was allowed to pry on this closely today and even yesterday night. 

Sharing a bed, being allowed to watch someone being asleep and prying into their own home, this freely was also intimacy. Nino wondered why this all felt so much better than what he was used to in relationships. He wondered why his thoughts always came back to Jun, why he ever compared everything to his experiences with Jun now. 

He mostly asked himself how he had been so blind all these years and how many other people already could see that he was so unbelievably fond of Jun that Jun had become one of the most influential people in his life?

Without realising it, he reached out and traced his facial lines with his fingertips. His lips, slightly dry to the touch but very warm, the stubble on his cheeks, the velvet feel of the scar right on his cheek, the slight unevenness of his mole under his lip and eye, the softer skin right under his eyes… When his fingers touched his forehead and the eyebrows that were Jun’s trademark. The one thing on his face that Jun would never be able to hide and which always led to him being found out by fans, Jun’s forehead wrinkled and his eyebrows drew close. His breath caught in his throat as he forgot how to breathe for a second as he watched Jun’s face closely. 

He didn’t want to miss any twitch, any movement or sound of the other as he finally woke up. He moved back, just a little to give Jun the space to move freely, his hand pushing his hair away from his face with a groan and small yawn, his voice almost unrecognisable because it was still laden with sleep. 

Nino chuckled and smiled when Jun’s eyes shot open and focused on him. Jun’s eyes tightened slightly, and Nino knew that it meant that his sight was still not up fully. Soon enough, Jun pinched his nose with his fingertips before wiping the sleep away from his eyes and sat up. 

“Good morning,” Nino said finally, and Jun nodded. 

“Very good, with you still here,” he said, a blush on his face again as he tried not to meet Nino’s eyes, who was still patiently watching him. 

“Of course. I would never sneak out without a word on you. But to be fair, I needed to go out for a bit with Haru if you didn’t want an accident in the living room.

Jun’s nose wrinkled adorably at the thought, and he just nodded mutely. He stared silently at Nino for a second or so longer before he almost fell out of bed in the haste he stumbled out. 

“J?”

“Bathroom, I’ll be right back! Don’t move,” he demanded and was out of the room in a second. Nino chuckled and fell to his back as he stared at the ceiling listening to the sounds of water rushing through the pipes, closing his eyes and just concentrating on his breath as he told himself it was okay. Jun would not chase him away. He was way too much of an adult to do that. 

“Heavy,” Nino complained as soon after he felt a weight on himself, looking into Jun’s face. He chuckled as the other was already shaved, looking much cleaner and awake now. The minty smell from him also told him that Jun had brushed his teeth, and Nino cupped his face. 

“Good morning, J,” he repeated, tugging him closer to himself, smiling as the other’s lips closed over his. He could get used to this, he thought. 

Jun smiled brilliantly down onto him, in a surprisingly good mood so soon after waking up, as he replied the same. “Do you want to have something first at home, or should we take Haru out right away?” he asked curiously. 

Nino thought about it for a while, asking himself when would be the best time to tell Jun everything and then deciding that the walk would probably be the best. They wouldn’t be out in the open that much, but nobody had the home advantage, which for Nino sounded heavenly. 

“Sounds good. Haru wanted to go for it already when I took him out. I forgot about it yesterday night as I brought you to bed.”

“Then we should take the poor boy out now,” Jun agreed, and Nino nodded. He wriggled slightly under Jun until the other got the hint and rolled off him and allowed Nino to get up and get dressed. 

Nino could feel Jun’s eyes on his body, and he laughed slightly. “Should I take you out like that, or would you like to change as well?” he teased as he pulled off his sleep shirt. “I thought I was the one not minding going out in my pyjamas.”

Jun huffed, but Nino could see his red ears, as he knew that his ears mimicked that sentiment, but he tried hard to keep it cool, as he called Haru and busied himself with picking up his and Haru’s things after he had changed. He would have to go back home after getting ready for work and allow Jun to do the same.

—

They walked for a while in silence side by side until they reached the park, and Nino could loosen the leash a bit for Haru to sniff around and explore everything. 

“Ah, this is nice,” Jun sighed and stretched beside him. 

“What is?” Nino said with amusement in his voice as he watched Jun. 

“Being out this early. There are not that many people around, and the sun is nice. Not too hot yet.”

“You’re always cold, though,” Nino teased him and smiled. 

“And of course you are here beside me,” Jun said, ignoring the comment. 

Nino felt his cheeks heat up, and he sighed softly as he glanced at Jun. “I need to tell you something,” he whispered hesitantly. 

“Okay, what is it?” Jun asked and watched him curiously. Nino observed him for a moment and was relieved that Jun was calmly waiting for his little speech to come. It somehow managed to calm him down a lot. He suddenly knew that this - them - was going to be okay.

“At the start of this all, the message I meant to send was that I loved your hair on that day. God, I will never forget how your hair looked on that day, and I honestly liked it. I saw that you were down because those women decided to make nasty remarks about it. But Haru jumped on me, and I clicked send too early. The next morning when you came… I was surprised, and a bit horrified but couldn’t deny you. You looked adorable and excited about the prospect that I felt the same, so I agreed to start dating.”

Nino sighed and looked at Jun again. The other was still watching him, and there was an emotion in his eyes that Nino was too nervous to try to decipher right now, so he quickly looked down again to end this tale. 

“But I was honest after that, I promise. I decided if we were going to date, I needed to give you an honest chance, and I did. I like spending time with you. Haru does as well, I love being close to you, and I can’t honestly tell you if I fell in love over the last weeks or had those feelings to start with but was too blind to see them.”

“I vote for the latter,” Jun murmured, and Nino blinked. 

“What?!”

“Nino, you might be a good actor, but you’re not that great. It was clear that when I showed up, you had no idea why. When I mentioned the message, you were confused and flustered, but I already had put me out there. There was no way I would have been able to come up with a good reason for being there early in the morning if I didn’t believe the message, so I decided to take the shot. I was surprised when you agreed. Hesitantly but you did. You were so careful around me for a while but open, so I wanted to try. There was not much to lose. I’m glad you told me.”

“You knew?” Nino asked, still in shock at how his worries had all been for nothing. 

“In a way, yes. And I suppose I have to thank Haru.” Jun looked at him and smiled at the shocked face. Nino looked adorable and funny at the same time with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. Jun looked around fast and then cupped his face in his hands. He squeezed the cheeks slightly and put his face close to Nino’s, enjoying the blush decorating Nino’s face at their sudden closeness. He leant in to kiss him, just for Nino to wake from his shock and jump away. 

“We are in public!” he scolded, hiding his read face from view but unable to hide the burning tips of his ear at the time. 

“Cute,” Jun mumbled, giggling when Jun huffed and stalked forwards and called Haru to heel now. He was still flustered, and Nino was charming as he tried to get back his bearings, Jun thought with a laugh as he followed him a bit slower. 

Nino slowed down as he felt as if he could talk without going up in flames. His eyes on Jun as he frowned slightly. “So we’re good.”

“Better even,” Jun agreed. “Breakfast?”

“Your treat,” Nino agreed, motioning him to go ahead and lead the way.


End file.
